| Abstract |
Skills-based health education is an approach to creating or maintaining healthy lifestyles and conditions through the development of knowledge, attitudes, and especially skills, using a variety of learning experiences, with an emphasis on participatory methods.
Skills for Health focuses on school-based programmes. Special programmes for students and parents, peer education and counselling programmes, and school/community programmes offer ways for students to apply and practise what they learn. Student participation in active learning can strengthen student-teacher relationships, improve the classroom climate, accommodate a variety of learning styles, and provide alternative ways of learning. Skills-based health education can be used to address the health issues that children and young people can encounter in the school setting, including the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs; helminth and other worm infections; nutrition; reproductive and sexual health; and the prevention of violence and of HIV/AIDS.
This document focuses on teaching children and adolescents how to adopt or strengthen healthy lifestyles. It treats the knowledge, attitudes, skills, and the support that they need to act in healthy ways, develop healthy relationships, seek services, and create healthy environments. This document specifically defines the term skills-based health education, including life skills; describes the theoretical foundation; reviews the educational approaches of skills-based health education; presents evaluation evidence and practical experiences for the implementation of skills-based health education as part of an effective school health programme; reviews criteria for effective programmes and preparation for those who deliver such programmes; and describes available resources.
|
